Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 305: Section 213: A Day in the Capital (1)

Chapter 305: Section 213: A Day in the Capital (1)

Logan spent considerable effort before he got the kid called Cohen to understand that the shorty in front of him was indeed Malin.

But he still had a puzzled look on his face, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, which made Malin feel embarrassed because he started to recall the big guy, Shelton. If he were as tall as him, there probably wouldn’t have been a need for any explanation; just a glance would have sufficed to conclude, ’This lad must be a giant, terrifying indeed’.

As if reading the melancholy in Malin’s heart, Logan patted Malin on the shoulder, "I know it’s hard for you, but this is the Capital, so please don’t go pulling out streetlights."

Malin was amused rather than angry at the young man’s comment and gently elbowed him, while the latter dramatically clutched his ribs.

Malin and Cohen didn’t make a big deal of it and walked ahead a few steps before turning back when they realized that their friend and cousin hadn’t kept up—only to find the young man now kneeling on the ground, clutching his ribs.

"It didn’t seem to me that you used any force at all," Cohen turned to look at Malin, "You two aren’t acting, are you?"

"I really didn’t," said Malin, as he elbowed a lamppost by the roadside which responded with a highly exaggerated twist to Malin’s blow.

Cohen, looking at the streetlight that nearly hit his head, quickly rushed to his cousin who had toppled over onto the street.

.........

Mentor Emmet Selch from the Benevolent Church’s hospital arrived half an hour later; just after he had checked his apprentices into the hotel, Logan was turned into a critical patient by a blow from Malin.

"Four ribs broken... you really didn’t exert any strength?" Mentor Emmet Selch glanced at the medical report handed over by the doctor, looking somewhat puzzled at Malin.

"Truly, I didn’t," Malin felt very innocent, "It was just like how we usually horse around, I didn’t use any strength at all."

The investigator lying in the hospital bed awkwardly nodded at Malin’s mentor, "I admit, Mr. Malin indeed didn’t exert strength; if he had really tried, Mr. Logan would have ended up just like me."

Mentor Emmet Selch then looked at the medical report about the investigator, "Left arm crushed, ten ribs broken on the left side, three penetrated the lungs... you really are a favorite of the Goddess of Benevolent."

"Yeah, I just told Mr. Malin from your Church to punch me with the strength ’he sucked from his mother’s teat.’" Having said that, the investigator fell back onto the bed, and the machine monitoring his heart rhythm emitted a loud warning beep.

The doctors and nurses pushed past Mentor Emmet Selch and Malin to start resuscitating the investigator.

"...you didn’t apply a bruise structure?" asked Mentor Emmet Selch.

"I did, and if I hadn’t, he would be gone by now," Malin answered, his face full of embarrassment, "I even thought this guy was a high-level Transcendent. He told me to punch him with all I’ve got, and I just did as I was told."

"...It was certainly the right decision not to let you compete; you, my boy, are an exception even amongst the entire Apprenticeship, truly a lethal hammer," Mentor Emmet Selch ruffled Malin’s hair, then looked towards the collapsed Logan, "Logan, it looks like you’re not able to compete now."

"Yes," Logan nodded, looking at the investigator receiving electric shocks, "This guy’s not going to die, is he?"

"No worries, we all heard the investigator’s express request for Mr. Malin to punch him, and if he were to die from that, we couldn’t blame Mr. Malin," said a doctor, looking back at the investigative team members who had rushed into the ward, "What are you looking at? Get out!"

The tall team members glared at Malin, who just spread his hands—what use is glaring at me, when your captain was courting death? Could I be blamed?

Fifteen minutes later, the investigator was pulled back from death’s door by the doctors... well, using the word ’underworld’ might be more down-to-earth.

Since he could live, Malin also felt somewhat relieved; although it was the investigator who courted death, it was Malin who threw the punch.

With the doctor’s testimony, the head of the investigative department who had rushed over eventually gave Malin a not guilty verdict—he had initially refused to believe that it was Malin who had hammered his subordinate into that state, instead suspecting Mentor Emmet Selch, until his subordinate woke up again and all testimonies were aligned, only then did he let Malin off the hook.

Logan also left the hospital with Malin, and the Healing Spell came a lot of help, but as a result, he was unable to enter the stage for battle—having ingested several spells for serious wounds, the Healing Spell had developed a tolerance, and for the coming months, Logan could only fend for himself.

"Looks like I won’t be able to join you underground tomorrow," Logan didn’t care much about this; what he was more interested in was going on an underground adventure with Malin. In his words, tournaments like the full Union competitions were just child’s play compared to that.

"You better rest up properly, I’ll go underground with your cousin tomorrow, just to kill a few small monsters," Malin didn’t care much either, and was even a bit happy, because with Logan’s skills, if there were a real emergency, he would have to be distracted and exert effort to pull the kid out lest they surface and all he could say to his girlfriend, classmate Miriam, was—sorry, your boyfriend died down there, here’s his arm, you can drag that around now.

How could that be okay? Although Logan always bragged about his big deals, in the end, he was a rather useful informant, able to find Malin places to make money, and most importantly... he was Malin’s friend.

Leaving a friend behind to save oneself might be a survival tactic for others, but for Malin, that was an absolute no-go.

"You’re the only one who would dare call those creatures of a different kind and Spirits ’small monsters,’" Logan gave Malin a roll of the eyes as he sat in his wheelchair.

Chatting all the way back to the hotel, Malin realized he had nothing to do—Faye had taken her mouse maids back to her palace, Clovis had gone to the Mage Tower of the Capital to sign in for her schedule, Maya and Jessica followed their team to get familiar with the competition venue, and even Lillim had gone to report at her Church.

```

"You see, in the end, it’s just me who’s sticking with you, Mr. Malin," Big-eared Fox Matilda said with a smile as she appeared beside Malin.

"What about the team from the Church of Justice?" Malin stared at the big-eared fox.

After a long silence, the big-eared fox humphed unhappily, "They won’t get here until tomorrow."

"They arrive tomorrow, then we report tomorrow. But tell me, why aren’t you moving with them?" Malin asked as he took the coffee cup from the apprentice, "And why are you offering this now?"

"Lots of people couldn’t sleep last night, everyone was discussing what the Capital is like." The young apprentice sighed, "I really want to go out and have fun, but damn my luck, why did I have to draw the short straw to stay and watch the house?"

Taking a sip, Malin turned to Matilda, "Speaking of which, have you ever been to the Capital for fun?"

Speaking of it, Malin understood why youngsters would be so excited—when he was fourteen, the orphanage organized a trip to the capital, and the night before, not a single kid on the bus could sleep.

Such beautiful memories.

Malin mused, while looking at the big-eared fox, who was already standing by the door ready to leave. Upon hearing Malin’s words, she immediately spun around, proudly thrust out her chest, revealing the breastplate formed with a water pressure machine inside her coat, "Of course! I’ve been here several times!"

"Then why don’t you take me out for a look?" Malin, holding his cup, leaned against the counter and watched Matilda, all the while admiring the beautiful lines of the breastplate.

"Why should I?" asked the big-eared fox with a puzzled face.

"Aren’t you my maid?" asked Malin, equally puzzled.

"I’d forgotten about that, come on, keep up, let Big Sister Matilda take you out for some fun," the big-eared fox instantly changed her tune, and with a very happy demeanor, faced Malin.

"If it weren’t for the fact that you’re from a different kind and our sizes don’t match, people might mistake you for my sister when we go out," Malin finished his coffee in one gulp, set the cup down, and then approached the big-eared fox.

In response, Matilda humphed, "Why don’t you just shamelessly claim you’re my father."

"Wait until I’m another 30 centimeters taller," Malin retorted, as he walked next to the girl, then in a flash, was bitten on the head by the girl who had leapt up.

Why do all these orcs like to gnaw on heads?

Right... why does it feel like history’s repeating itself?

..........

It took a great deal of effort to get the big-eared fox off his head and to patch up his scalp; then Malin led the girl outside.

Actually, Malin was indeed eager to see this city—under normal circumstances, the capital of a realm is the place that reflects the full spectrum of its power.

So Malin couldn’t wait to hit the streets. In Carterburg, the combo of a short half-blood and a big-eared fox might attract a lot of attention, but here, nobody paid them any mind as the passersby always seemed to be in a hurry, as if chased by something.

The wage slaves of this world truly are like one big family.

With such thoughts, Malin noticed the carriages and motorbikes; the former were, of course, a staple in a backwater place like Carterburg, and the motorbikes... aside from the old-fashioned ones like in Silent Hill City, there were also some newer models. They looked good, but seemed to lack durability—if they were to carve a lane amidst the crowd, that might be a bit challenging.

After standing by the street for a while, Matilda clicked her tongue, "There’s nothing much fun around here."

"Wait, didn’t you say you knew this place, isn’t there anywhere fun?"

"The Church of Justice’s Capital prison, it’s quite interesting with Spirits, criminal Transcendents, and some heavy criminals waiting for trial, shall we go and have some fun?" Matilda proposed, looking at Malin.

Malin was taken aback, "Wait, why would we go to that spooky place for fun?"

"I can teach you how to interrogate," Matilda offered, looking at Malin, her big eyes twinkling as though she was expecting something.

After thinking it over, Malin decided to crush that expectation.

Interrogation?

I could break a person down into parts with just one punch, for goodness’ sake!

```